# Chinese hackers used AI agents to breach about 2,250 ConnectWise customers

> Original title: Chinese hackers spied on thousands of companies after breaching IT giant ConnectWise

- Source: TechCrunch · AI
- Published: 2026-10-22T16:47:17.000Z
- Bad Influence: https://badinfluence.news/items/c5ahsknl0u5blm14skmx5lvqm
- Original: https://techcrunch.com/2026/10/22/chinese-hackers-spied-on-thousands-of-companies-after-breaching-it-giant-connectwise/

## Summary

Microsoft says China state-aligned hackers stole application credentials from ConnectWise's cloud backup service and used them to access customers' Microsoft-hosted environments. Microsoft attributes the rapid breach of around 2,250 organizations, at nearly 3,000 sign-in attempts per minute, to AI agents using ARTEX, an open-source framework. ConnectWise has paused access to its cloud backup system and says it is working to restore the service.

## Why it matters

The report links a China state-aligned hack to AI agents that compressed the attack timeline, showing how a supplier breach can reach thousands of downstream customers.